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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bat — the animal
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. dip — to sink
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pass — a permit
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. pass — to succeed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com